The Crooks ’Parade

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 762, 7 September 1929, Page 18

The Crooks ’Parade

MARCHIONESS TOWN- I SHEND, MAYOR OF KING’S LYNN, SEES SOMETHING OF NEW YORK’S POLICE METHODS THE DAILY "ROUND UP” SHE MARC HIONESS TOWNSHEND, Mayor of King’s Lynn, Norfolk, who has been paying a visit to America, before leaving New York, called at the New Y'ork Police Headquarters. There, as the guest of Chief Commissioner Grover Whalen, she was permitted to witness a line-up of the crooks arrested overnight. With Lady Townahend were her son the Marquess, as well as Lady Armstrong. wife of the British ConsulGeneral in New York. The titled Mayor of King’s Lynn expressed amazement at the spectacle of the New York night’s “round up.” First shh and her party were ushered into a spacious room filled

with detectives and constables in uniform, who were seated before a raised platform over which were suspended several electric lights. Before the Limelight Each arrested man was made to ascend the platform in turn; a battery of lights was immediately concentrated on him. In this dazzling glare the prisoner could probably see only a hazy blurr of faces in the auditorium: but to those gazing on him the light brought out every feature, every scar or blemish, as he was made slowly to turn his head from side to side, and to assume different attitudes. While these characteristics were being carefully noted by the trained observers, an inspector recited the charge against prisoner and read his criminal record. These records embraced every kind of crime, each criminal being credited with his own specialities, such as burglar}', highway robbery, pocketpicking. etc. Detectives also questioned many of the men in order to elicit information concerning the immediate offences which had brought them into the police net.